The present invention relates to cycling equipment, and more specifically, a biomechanical pedal.
Bicycle pedals have evolved from simple counterbalanced brass sleeves as illustrated in the first US patent issued for the improvement to velocipedes, to ball-bearing mounted pedal bodies with rubber treads or narrow cage plates. To further the pedal's usefulness, clip retention systems that allow for a pull stroke during a crank rotation were incorporated into the pedal body. The first clip systems were simple wire cages and straps that surrounded the cyclist's shoe, similar to clip systems used today.
It was not until the 1980s when the commercially successful one-sided clipless road-bike pedal with a broad contact area pedal body and locking-binding mechanism was invented that most cyclists in the class—whether recreational riders or professional racers—began to use a clipless pedal. The specialized shoe required for use with the locking-binding mechanism was not adapted well for walking; the interchangeable, large three-bolt cleat that is used to determine whether the shoe remains fixed or floats—where and how far—is positioned on the shoe's outsole.
Several years later, a commercially successful two-sided clipless pedal with small contact area plates and open-locking mechanism was invented. The specialized shoe required for use with the open-locking mechanism was adapted for walking, with multiple positioning-locations in the shoe's midsole for a small, recessed two-bolt cleat that floats on a bolt-plate.
A desired characteristic of broad contact area clipless pedals is power transfer across a wide area of the shoe, which prevents painful hotspots common with small contact area pedals. An undesired characteristic of broad contact area clipless pedals is friction resistance affecting how easily the shoe will float when applying force to a pedal throughout a rank rotation. As a result, broad contact area clipless pedals float less efficiently than small contact area clipless pedals, therefore, less effectively preventing injuries commonly incurred from pedaling a bicycle.
Considering the above, there is a need for a broad contact area pedal that pivots with a low friction coefficient in a limited left and right direction of movement. The present embodiment of the biomechanical pedal addresses this need for the prior art, and from this disclosure, it will become apparent to those skilled in the art.
The assembly relates to an improvement upon a known apparatus for turning a crankset commonly seen in bicycles.
The present embodiments object is to connect a cyclist to a crankset with a biomechanical pedal that prevents injuries commonly incurred from repetitive motion strain.
The above object is achieved with an assembly comprised of a body that spins and pivots without translation on a spherical roiling joint attached to the second end of the axle shaft, and spins and slides on a roller bearing mounted approximate the first end of the axle shaft. Thus, some biomechanical pedal features have been broadly outlined so that the detailed description may be better understood and contribution to the art better appreciated.
There are additional features of the biomechanical pedal described herein and will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. It is to be understood the pedal is not limited in its application to the details of construction or arrangements of the components outlined in the description and illustrated in the drawings.
The biomechanical pedal is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood the language used herein is for description and should not be regarded as limiting.
The present embodiment will become more fully understood from the accompanying drawings. Like elements are represented by reference numbers given by way of illustration only and thus are not limitative of the present embodiment.
The drawings in
The body 50 seen in
An example biomechanical pedal 60 configuration with a bearing bracket 54 having a race-track 56 with an inside length of 19 mm, will slide 2 mm in the y1-forward range and 2 mm in the y2-rearward range when the race-track 56 is positioned vertical center of the horizontal rotational axis formed with an axle 10, spherical rolling joint 20, and roller bearing 30 having a 15 mm diameter. Another example biomechanical pedal 60 configuration with a bearing bracket 54 having a race-track 56 with an inside length of 21 mm, will slide 2 mm in the y1-forward range and 4 mm in the y2-rearward range when the race-track 56 is positioned 1 mm forward of the horizontal rotational axis' vertical center.
The biomechanical pedal 60 can be distinctively configured to align with a cyclist's individual toe-orientation by positioning the horizontal center of the contact area 51-53 left, at, or right of 90° from the horizontal rotational axis with the spherical roiling joint housing 55 and bearing bracket 54 fixed at 90° from the horizontal rotational axis. Additionally, the biomechanical pedal 60 can be configured to pivot according to a cyclist's individually changing toe-orientation throughout a crank rotation by positioning the spherical rolling joint housing 55 left, on, or right of the tread's 53 horizontal center and forward, on, or rearward of the tread's 53 vertical center with the bearing bracket 54 positioned forward, center, or rearward of the horizontal rotational axis' vertical center with the spherical rolling joint housing 55 and bearing bracket 54 fixed at 90° from the horizontal rotational axis configured with an axle shaft 13 that lines up to the cyclist's stance width.
Typical in-toe and out-toe orientations can be accommodated with the horizontal center of the contact area 51-53 positioned at or approximate 90° from the horizontal rotational axis with the spherical rolling joint housing 55 positioned on or approximate the horizontal and vertical center of the tread 53, with a bearing bracket 54 having a race-track 56 with a short y1-forward and y2-rearward range of movement positioned on the tread 53 at or approximate the vertical center of the horizontal rotational axis. An example biomechanical pedal 60 configuration for a cyclist with a typical in-toe orientation will have a race-track 56 fixed vertical center of the horizontal rotational axis that slides 3 mm in the y1-forward range and 3 mm in the y2-rearward range. When sliding 3 mm in the y1-forward range, the body 60 will pivot 3 mm in the x1-left direction; and when sliding 3 mm in the y2-rearward range, the body 50 will pivot 3 mm in the x2-right direction.
Severe in-toe or out-toe orientations can be accommodated with the horizontal center of the contact area 51-53 positioned left or right of 90° from the horizontal rotational axis with the spherical rolling joint housing 55 positioned left or right of the tread's 53 horizontal center and forward or rearward of the tread's 53 vertical center, with a bearing bracket 54 positioned forward or rearward of the horizontal rotational axis' vertical center having a race-track 56 with a longer y1-forward and y2-rearward range of movement. An example biomechanical pedal 60 configuration for a cyclist with a severe in-toe orientation will have the horizontal center of the contact area's 51-53 fore rail 51 positioned 4 mm right of 90° from the horizontal rotational axis, a spherical rolling joint housing 55 fixed 5 mm left of the tread's 53 horizontal center and 2 mm rearward of the tread's 53 vertical center, and a bearing bracket 54 having a race-track 56 that will slide 2 mm in the y1-forward range and 4 mm in the y2-rearward range when positioned 1 mm forward of the horizontal rotational axis' vertical center. When sliding 2 mm in the y1-forward range, the body 50 will pivot 2 mm in the x1-left direction; and when sliding 4 mm in the y2-rearward range, the body 50 will pivot 4 mm in the x2-right direction. When pivoted 4 mm in the x2-right direction, the horizontal center of the fore rail 51 is positioned 8 mm right of 90° from the horizontal rotational axis.
The axle 10 seen in
The spherical rolling joint 20 seen in
The spherical race 21 is an internally threaded bail likely to be made of a lightweight metal alloy able to withstand bearing wear, which turns onto the externally threaded spherical race bolt 16 positioned on the second end of the axle shaft 13 seen in
The roller bearing 30 seen in
In accordance with a first alternate embodiment of the biomechanical pedal 60, the horizontal rotational axis comprised of an axle 10, spherical rolling joint 20, and roller bearing 30 can be configured with the spherical rolling joint 20 attached on the right side of the axle shaft's 13 horizontal center with the roller bearing 30 mounted on the left side of the spherical roiling joint 20 to accommodate a cyclist's anatomical preference.
While only select embodiments have been chosen to illustrate the biomechanical pedal 60, various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the invention's scope as defined in the appended claims.
Number | Date | Country | |
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20210347438 A1 | Nov 2021 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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62843621 | May 2019 | US |